About cavaliereattitude

Englishwoman, transplanted to SW France in '86, blogging - with a large dose of humour and self-deprecation - about life with my husband and our horses, the never-ending renovation of an ancient and crumbly stone farmhouse and the attempt to carve a beautiful garden and productive pasture out of a woodland wilderness.........

Christmas rolled in here on chilly billows of dense fog. A normal late-December day. Not that the animals expect the day to be any different from their usual routine and, with the exception of a heartier-than-usual dinner, neither do we. … Continue reading →

It’s all Anna Blake’s fault, this post and so much more ……. There’s no blogger or horse author I know of who has published such consistently insightful, readable writing on the equine/human relationship. I blame her for making me and … Continue reading →

“It’s a little known fact that we horses are great believers in New Year Resolutions. Or at least Reflections. Let’s face it. We can realistically expect to celebrate far fewer New Years than you, our human counterparts. So instead of … Continue reading →

This weekend I picked roses in the garden, which still held a subtle perfume of summer …. Then, the next morning winter arrived, just in time for Christmas. A frosty, misty morning full of sparkling promise And the boys loving … Continue reading →

(With apologies to the spirit of Mrs. Woolf.) In my last-but-one post I wrote about the gargantuan task of clearing out the top of the barn and laying a new floor over the old one. And I’m glad to report … Continue reading →

My husband complains that there are four of us in this marriage, and that he is usually last in line for my attention. He’s not at all impressed when I put forward the argument that the British cavalry became the … Continue reading →

It had to be done. Nearly thirty years’ worth of old furniture, boxes of books and clothes, tea chests full of glasses and crockery I hadn’t seen since we moved from London, rugs, building materials, ladders, scaffolding, gates, seven pairs … Continue reading →

The Pleasure I had the pleasure of watching a dressage competition, not too far from here, last weekend. In only its second year, word had obviously spread that the previous year’s organisation and welcome had been a success. And this … Continue reading →

Recently we went to dinner with a great friend to meet the new man in her life. Her three children helped to make the meal and the conversation round the table was lively and easygoing. The talk turned to Finn’s … Continue reading →

It’s not hard to guess if and where my sweet-itchy horse is itching. As soon as he sees me he will either plonk that part of himself directly in front of me or point to it with his nose. Though … Continue reading →